As statistics will certainly attest to, video game amusement devices have become an immensely popular form of entertainment in our culture within a relatively short period of time. Within the past five years, for example, the video game industry has burgeoned to such a degree that revenues are now at the billion dollar level as generated within commercial video game arcade establishments. In addition to the aforenoted commercial market, the home-video market is also quite extensive and is continuously experiencing substantial growth as new households acquire video game systems, and in view of households, which already have video game systems, continually adding to such systems by purchasing new game cartridges as the same become commercially available.
Within the home video game entertainment field or market, one of the original most popular game cartridges utilized, for example, in connection with an ATARI home video game system, is SPACE INVADERS. More recently, the video game cartridge of PACMAN has become available for use in connection with home video game systems, and this particular cartridge has likewise proven to be quite commercially successful.
These two exemplary video games are played in conjunction with the ATARI video game system through means of a joystick control unit which is movable, for example, in four mutually orthogonal directions which may correspond to what may be considered or envisioned North, South, East, and West directions. In particular, the movements required during a playing episode of SPACE INVADERS normally involve only movements within the East and West directions, while the movements required during a playing episode of PACMAN require movements within all of the North, South, East and West directions. The movements required within either video game play modes are often extremely tense and rapid. The joystick control unit is usually held within one particular hand while the other hand is actually used to move the joystick control shaft to accomplish play of the game.
As often happens, after a substantial period of play time, and particularly in view of the intensity of the required play movements of the joystick shaft, the hand that is simply holding the joystick control unit becomes cramped and over-tired due to the rapid and intense movement forces being impressed upon the joystick control shaft by means of the other hand. In other words, the person's hand holding the joystick control unit must balance the forces being impressed upon the joystick control shaft by means of the moving-playing hand. As a result, as already noted, the hand holding the unit becomes tired and cramped with a consequent decrease in efficiency of play as exhibited by the control-movement hand.
A need therefore exists for suitable support apparatus for the joystick control unit which will eliminate the necessity of the unit actually being held within one of the person's hands while the other hand accomplishes movement of the joystick control shaft in the desired mode. In this manner, the person's hand which normally is required to hold the joystick control unit is relieved of such duty and does not undergo or experience the cramping and over-tired symptoms normally experienced when utilizing the control unit. The apparatus would securely hold and support the control unit while the other hand can freely and efficiently manipulate the joystick control shaft.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit so as to overcome and alleviate the operational drawbacks, disadvantages, and problems normally characteristic of a video game joystick control unit during its play mode.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit whereby cramping and over-tiring of the game-player's hand conventionally holding the joystick control unit is operationally eliminated or relieved.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit so as to permit operational control of the joystick control unit with only a single hand.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit whereby personnel fatigue is substantially reduced or eliminated so as to permit substantially extended play of the video game system with substantially increased efficiency.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit which is quite simplified in its structural formulation.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit which exhibits a minimal number of cooperative working parts or elements and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture wherein the video game joystick control unit is nevertheless securely retained within the apparatus so as to efficiently serve as the supporting base for the joystick control shaft when the latter is being manipulated in accordance with the particular game movement modes as may be required.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit which is capable of being disposed upon a flat support surface, such as, for example, a room floor, a horizontally disposed table surface, or the like, as may be desired by the particular personnel employing the same.
A yet further object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit which is capable of being disposed over one's legs or lap in any overlying mode as may be desired by the particular personnel employing the same so as to comfortably dispose the apparatus and the joystick control unit relative to the person playing the video game system.
A still yet further object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit which operatively disposes the joystick control unit in a comfortable position relative to the person utilizing the same while playing the video game system.
A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit which operatively supports and retains therewithin the joystick control unit without interference with any movement of the joystick control shaft.
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a new apparatus for supporting and retaining a video game joystick control unit which operatively supports and retains therewithin the joystick control unit without hindering access to the push-button control element conventionally provided upon the joystick control unit and which is operatively employed in conjunction with the joystick control shaft.